Have you heard of the infamous “Freshman 15” (or 20, or 30)? It’s named after a phenomenon where new college students reportedly gain on average 15 pounds by their second year. While there are numerous explanations for this weight gain, chief among them is poor dietary choices. Don’t worry, we’ll help you ace that.

Typically, many college campuses give students access to workout facilities, a stacked dining hall, nutrition information classes, and health clinics if they know where to look. But I get it: when faced with the liberation from parents’ watchful eyes, and the prospects of forging new experiences and living out your favorite college teen movie fantasies, healthy eating sits unsurprisingly low on your bucket list, right below folding 386 paper cranes before semester’s end.

Are You Doomed to Gain 15 Pounds?

Not automatically, at least.

Multiple studies have attempted to assess if the Freshman 15 is actually a thing, but that’s just semantics. Don’t get me wrong, gaining a noticeable amount of weight in your first year (and throughout college) is a very real possibility.

Now, not everyone will necessarily gain that much weight, if much at all. Another study from Ohio State looked at 7,418 college students and found that the average student gained between about 2.5 and 3.5 pounds in their first year of college. It all depends on your response to the influx of new dietary and lifestyle choices.

Basically, this transition from high school to college is as good a time as any to learn about nutrition and weight management, and pick up the lifestyle habits that will serve you for life, in and out of school.

It’s About (Energy) Balance, Yo

Your parents probably gave you some innate sense of what’s “healthy” and how to eat “in moderation.” Still, I believe merely knowing how to identify healthier foods pales in comparison to understanding the larger concept of energy balance (calories in versus calories out) and how it relates to weight.

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After a period of time, it’s the total energy balance that chiefly determines the changes in your body. Put simply: If you eat more calories than you spend (via exercise, non-exercise activity, and basic bodily functions), you’ll gain weight over time. Conversely, eat less than you burn and you’ll lose weight over time.

The energy balance equation is simple thermodynamics, but in the context of the human body, it’s not as static or predictable as it appears. Variables like digestion and the types of nutrients (fat, carbohydrates, fiber, alcohol, and protein) you eat means the calorie value you see on, say, a food label isn’t exactly what will be going into (or out of) your body. If anything, the value falls slightly short, but that doesn’t make shoveling excess quantities of food into your face-hole any more excusable.

I’ve seen droves of internet health mavericks try to downplay energy balance’s effect on weight by emphasizing certain foods and demonizing others, but it’s still possible to gain weight from overeating “healthy” foods. The reason you haven’t heard anyone becoming overweight from gorging on broccoli is that first it’s, well, friggin’ broccoli; second, it’s nigh impossible to eat any significant number of calories from the veggie before you decide you’d rather staple your mouth shut than have to chew another piece.

In essence, the body isn’t a math problem where you can calculate exact inputs and outputs. (And thank goodness for that because I suck at math.)

Your Survival Guide to Dining Hall Food

Dining hall food typically means a portal to spectacular amounts of pizza, burgers, fried chicken, and cookies as far as the eye can see. Since many college meal plans tend toward an all-you-can-eat style, you can steel yourself against temptations with these general guidelines in mind, oh brave, health-conscious warrior:

Eat two or three square meals daily in dining hall: Save your dining hall trips for when you actually can sit down and take your time to eat a solid meal. Try to avoid going to the dining hall only for a “light snack.”

Hit the salad bar: You can turn anything you get in the dining hall into a salad. Load up on fibrous veggies for added food volume (and not to mention, awesome micronutrients and fiber). Unless they’re prepared heavily in fat sources, vegetables typically have lower calories.

Emphasize protein: You should have access to an assortment of protein options: chicken, burger patties, lunch meats (although these can be higher in sodium), beans, eggs (hardboiled or scrambled), tofu, tuna, peanut butter, and so on. Sometimes you may have to MacGyver your food. For example, if only fried chicken is available, remove the fried skin to salvage what is otherwise a perfectly good source of protein. It doesn’t have to be perfect.

Use a big plate: Most healthy-eating recommendations would scoff at this idea since studies have shown that the size of the food vessel can influence amount eaten despite hunger cues (and even taste). However, in a buffet setting, I find this strategy of grabbing a big plate, loading it up with as much food as you can actually finish and eating only that one plate, to be physiologically and psychologically satisfying. To help with this matter, focus on piling on vegetables, then protein, and finally, carb sources (e.g. beans, rice and potatoes).

Make special requests: Take more control of your situation by asking food service workers for modifications. In my experience, many of them graciously accept reasonable adjustments and requests, such as a burger without the bun. Just explain to them that you’d rather eat what you can than needlessly waste food.

Drink a ton of water: Chug water with your meal, as it contributes to feeling of fullness. Many times you may confuse hunger signals with mild dehydration.

Avoid drinking your calories: I’m personally not a fan of drinking calories, especially from soda or fruit juice, so steer clear of the fountain drinks. Liquid calories are just too easily overconsumed, not to mention unsatisfying. If you’re in a hurry though, a smoothie, a glass of milk, or a bowl of soup are fine, but you want those to be exceptions, not the norm.

Eat when slightly hungry and until fullness: Common sense, right? Except common sense takes a hike amid a food paradise, where it’s easy to be tempted and also ignore satiety cues. I say “slightly hungry” because when you get into full-blown Kirby mode, you’re a lot less calculated about healthy choices and are more concerned with cramming things into your belly. Don’t worry if you can’t do these things from the get-go. These self-control tactics are actually fairly advanced skills that can take some time to develop.

It’s cool to treat yo self on occasion: It’s smart to balance an otherwise sensible diet with a moderate amount of foods that make you happy, too. The trick is to not completely deprive yourself, but to find the minimum amount of the treat that will satisfy you. This balance will be especially beneficial for when you eat with pals that might have less healthy eating habits.

The food will still be there tomorrow: Just remember that even if it felt like that meatloaf spoke to your soul, you can still enjoy more food tomorrow or at the next meal.

Basically, don’t eat like a jerk. Just because mom and dad aren’t around doesn’t mean you can sabotage your long-term health by eating pure crap all the time.

When You’re Not at the Dining Hall

You spend maybe one hour or two, tops, at the dining hall. Hence, your dietary choices outside of those dining walls are just as critical to your daily healthy-eating strategy. Here are a couple of things to try or consider:

Try intermittent fasting: This strategy of eating only within a limited window and eating nothing else at other times can work perfectly for some people but not all. Let’s say, you’re not really a breakfast eater and you’ve got morning classes back-to-back anyway. Intermittent fasting allows you to fast until noon (or later) and then have your first meal whenever you get around to it. Intermittent fasting has also been shown to have a host of other health benefits, if it works for your schedule.

Educate yourself: Take a class on basic nutrition principles. Seriously, it’s not like being forced to learn obscure mathematical equations that apply only to specific contexts. Nutrition and health upkeep apply to every aspect of your life.

Learn to make meals in your dorm room: This is a great way to tailor your menu to your preferences. Don’t expect gourmet stuff to come out of dorm-cooking, though, since most dorms aren’t equipped with the proper equipment. That doesn’t mean you can’t make some tasty, healthy food. (More on this below.)

Many campus menus follow a six- or eight-week cycle, meaning that at the end of that time frame the menu resets. Inevitably, you will groan at the thought of eating any more dining hall food. I know, I know—the horror of first-world food problems.

Eat Well in Your Dorm Room

While many may hit up the fast food joints around campus, you can easily cobble together hearty meals in your own dorm room as well. As far as I’m aware, most dining halls will allow you to take small food items, such as piece of fruit or sandwich, with you. In addition to those, it’s a good idea to have some non-perishable items at the ready.

Plastic food containers: Very few things beat being able to store your foods and then being able to easily transport them around campus.

Rice cooker: Did you know that you can cook more than just rice in a rice cooker? You can find some interesting non-rice recipes here and here.

Magic Bullet blender: Oh, Magic Bullet, how I love thee. I’ve blended many a smoothies, sauces, and guacamoles with it, and it’s surprisingly tiny—perfect for dorm rooms. Here are some recipes for smoothies and protein smoothies.

George Foreman Grill: This handy grill is a bit fancy for most dorm room denizens, but if you have one you’ll be the envy of everyone on your floor. Just think of the juicy steaks!

You don’t have to own all of these, but I’d claim the microwave, rice cooker, and can opener to be the biggest game-changers.